Hero of Worlds
by Swordsman289
Summary: A/N: this is my first story, so don't be harsh. A few months after Zant and Ganandorf were defeated, Link's life won't be the same. As a portal which leads into a new world appears in the forest, a new evil arises. Will Link and his friends survive? R
1. A New Life, A New Adventure

Author's Note: A short chapter, basically a little intro. I did do more chapters, but I want a small break between already existing chapters.

***

Hyrule's greatest hero, Link, is taking some time in Castle Town to get supplies for personal needs like food. Just then he heard some rumbling at the east side of Castle Town, where Telma's bar is. He looked and saw a mob of girls running towards him. It seems that they want him to be their husband. Ever since he saved Hyrule, he just became so popular with everyone, well mostly the girls.

Well he was about to get torn to pieces by a mob of girls, so he paid for his supplies and ran out of town. He exited the eastern gate and was trying to run back to his house in Ordon, but the mob of girls were following him no matter what, they even follow him to the male rest room. The mob is catching up fast so he took out his horse call and called for Epona.

When Epona finally arrived, he jumped on while running by grabbing her neck, and then swung while holding on to the neck and landed on the saddle. He knew that the mob was no match for the speed of his horse. He then rode all the way back to his house in Ordon.

He then entered his house and fell on his couch exhausted. He believes that now that Hyrule is peaceful, his life was now boring, despite of being chased by girls (which he hates). The Bokoblins were now peaceful merchants and were now affiliates of Hyrule. The Great Fairy's cavern is now free of monsters. The forest is clear of the purple mist. Today he suffers from the worst kind of pain...loneness. He misses having Midna on his back and as his shadow.

He still can wield the Master Sword, and he still carries it and he still has the items that he found on his previous quest, but he rarely use any of them. He has an everyday routine now. Today, he tries to learn on how to speak. He has a dictionary of all of the Hylian words to study on. Soon after he did his lessons, he reads books.

He is reading on a legend of a prophecy of the "Hero of Worlds", will come and save other worlds from evil by going through a strange portal. This was his favorite story of all. He wonders if the prophecy will come true, but he'll find out in time. It was getting late so he went to bed.

Next thing he knows, Mayor Bo arrives and tries to give him some news on something strange.

"Link!!! There something strange in the forest! I want you to check it out!" Mayor Bo ordered.

Link then agreed and geared up to check out the forest. When he got there, he saw a strange portal near the forest temple. He doesn't know why or when it was here. He then reached to the portal with caution. He then inserted his hand through the portal, but the vortex is sucking him in! He tried to escape but it was futile. He then went through the vortex, not knowing that the prophecy was coming true.

Inside the portal was a void he never imagined. There were gateways to other worlds, but were blocked by gates, including his gateway to Hyrule. He then realized that this is the portal that the book was talking about. He began thinking that he was the "Hero of Worlds", but he then shook it out of his mind and thought on how to get out.

He then saw only one gateway was open and it leads to a different world. He then thought about what will happen if he goes through the gateway. He then did his farewells to Hyrule and went through the only escape ticket he will only have. Without knowing, he had started on a new adventure and will fulfill the prophecy.


	2. A New World

Link was falling from the sky of the new world. Below him was a wide and deep river, which he fell into. His path was controlled by the strong current of the river. He desperately tried to grab a rock at the river's sides, but failed. He was beginning to drown, so his attempts were more frequent and vital.

He finally grabbed a rock that was strong enough. He pulled himself out and crawled away from the river. His clothes were drenched and he coughed out water. When he wiped the water out of his eyes, he saw his surroundings. He saw that he was in the wild; there were no buildings or any signs of sentient life near him. He wasn't going to give up; he climbed to the top of a nearby tree, took out his Hawkeye mask, and put it on.

The mask gave him the ability to see objects far away. He scanned the area for any signs of a nearby city. When his vision zoomed to the maximum, he barely glimpsed some kind of dome at the North. Link thought that it may contain a city; he could get help over there. Based on the distance, he estimated it would take 4 days to travel on foot, two days if Epona was there. He thought of another problem: food. He doesn't have enough food to last 3 days, so he's going to ration his food. He filled his watrskin from the river and went on his journey.

He traveled for hours as the land stretched onward with no end. His feet were sore and he was exhausted, but he kept on going as his determination fueled him. He took a quick stop and took a bite from his food and saved the rest. He then continued his journey. Twice he almost strayed off the path.

It rained when dusk felled. Link found shelter underneath the branches of a tree. It worked a little, but Link's head is still pelted by drops of rain. He wonders if he'll ever make it to that dome. As the rain kept on pouring, he slept his first night in this world.

He then awakened at dawn. His clothes were still drenched, and he began to get a fever. He ate a small breakfast, and continued on his way. His travel was stalled due to pools of mud. No matter what the cost, he pressed on. He then rested on the rest of the second day.

While eating breakfast of the third day, he thought if he skipped sleeping, he might make it to the dome early. Soon after he continued walking, a storm came. Rain was pouring hard and occasional thunder and lightning occur. He traveled for hours as the storm ceased any signs of stopping. As planned, he skipped sleeping and continued. Through many hours of stress, sickness, and soreness; he saw the dome in the horizon. This made Link excited and quickened his pace.

The dome must have been huge at Link's point of view. He then began to slow down as his fever began to take its toll. His fever was worse and he got a painful migraine and was nauseated. To make matters worse; a bolt of lightning struck Link. He lied on ground covered with mud, falling unconscious. As his mind fades away, he wondered if he will survive.


	3. New Friends

A/N: I won't get much updates till the end of Christmas since my laptop is in the repairs. Internal keyboard is busted and it makes a non-stop stream of commas when I click on a text box. I'm using my dad's laptop, and i have a copy of the story on Email, but it doesn't have all the latest chapters. So please, bear with me until the repairs are complete. Also, I am making multiple projects, so expect to see new stories in weeks.

Hours after Link's electrocution, while still unconscious, someone saved him. He's recovering in the dome, lying in bed inside shelter, and having tubes protruding out of his body while they are being connected to some kind of machine. Link was regaining consciousness, his vision was clearing up, but it returns to darkness from losing strength from the bolt, but he saw the Master Sword was lying on a table next to him. His mind fully recovered, but he rested his eyes. He heard footsteps of a few people entering the room he's in, and were discussing about him.

One of them asked, "What are we going to do with this…guy?" It was male, and sounded like he was in his late teens. "Got any suggestions, Nicole?"

Nicole—at least, Link thought it was Nicole—replied, "I don't know." This one was female, sounded in her late teens or early twenties. "This man was lucky; to travel through a storm like that? Once he wakes up, we have to interrogate him."

"Nicole, he's not from here, as you obviously can tell, and he might not understand a word we say."

"I knew you were going to say something like that. The medicine that he's being given also contains harmless probes that allow his brain to understand what we say—he might even be listening to us right now."

"You designed them, Nicole?"

"Of course, Knuckles."

"Even if he does understand us, what if he's a mute?" Knuckles asked with a tone of curiosity.

She hesitated, but replied, "You have a point there, Knuckles. I'll have to think about that." She then unsheathed Link's sword. "Oh my, Knuckles, take a look at his sword. Even though he traveled through the storm, this sword shows no evidence of rust or any damage."

"Hmm…you can examine it later but…hey, he's awaking!" He was right; Link painfully lifted his head and slowly opened his eyes.

He was expecting the people to be human, but instead, he stares face to face with animals. Their bodies are humanoid, but….animal form and they're walking upright. Knuckles, at least Link presumed it was him, was a red furred mammal he doesn't know, have red dreadlocks, a white crescent birthmark on his chest, amethyst eyes, wearing gloves, and have two spikes on both of his knuckles. Nicole was a brown furred feline, black fur on her hands, black hair, emerald-green eyes, and wearing a purple dress. He shot up and screamed. He then saw the tubes that attached to his body and yanked them off. They just stayed in the position, with the sounds of the machines, Link's heavy panting, and the roar of thunder outside. Other than that, no one spoke.

Then, the feline spoke slowly, "My name's Nicole," she then pointed at the red mammal, "and this is Knuckles. What is your name?"

Link didn't know what to say, since he doesn't talk, just battle grunts and yells. He tried to start talking, but the trial caused him a great deal of pain for his lungs. He clutched his chest, and moaned. He stifled a cry, but it was painful. He then released his grip on his chest and stared at the "animals", and just remained silent.

Nicole gave a deep sigh, and said, "Well Knuckles, you were right; he's a mute. That or the bolt of lightning injured his lungs. Either way, I'll be conducting probes that can make him talk."

Knuckles nodded. "We should leave; he's going to need the rest."

Nicole agreed and they soon left. When the door was closed, Link got under the covers and tried to fall asleep. He tossed and turned, thinking where was he and what are these people. Exhausted from the turmoil, he fell asleep.

* * *

On the next morning, he woke up and found a platter of food on a table next to him. He saw a tuna sandwich, fresh orange juice, and an apple. Not much he thought, but at least he got more to eat than the past few days. He removed the covers, put on his clothes and cap, and grabbed the platter and ate. He savored the taste of the food, since he only ate few bites out of his own food. He took half of the orange juice when someone knocked on the door.

He placed the glass back on the table, and answered the door. He saw it was Nicole again, but with someone else he didn't knew. He thinks it's a squirrel, at least he thought it is.

"So you're the guy that survived through the storm?" the other companion asked. She—Link realized—was brown and tanned fur, red hair, blue boots that go up till her knees, blue eyes, and a blue vest. She sounded in her teens. "My name is Sally. How are you?"

Link didn't know what to say. He tried to speak yet again, but he received the same strain in his chest. He placed his hand on his chest and winced. Once the pain was gone, he just stayed silent. Sally looked confused and murmured something to Nicole.

"I'm sorry to mention this Princess, but he seems to be a mute," Nicole answered loud enough for Link to hear. Link was surprised to be in the presence of another member of royalty. "Right now I'm making an experiment that would help him, so we shouldn't need to worry about it."

"Ok. Should we show him to the rest of the group?" Sally asked.

Nicole nodded. Then she tossed a black hooded cloak to Link. "Put it on; we can't risk making a scene with your appearance. We might reconsider once all of us make a solution."

Link understood and put the cloak on. When he looked at the mirror, he saw the cloak was able to conceal his face and the rest of his body, but he wondered if the sword will be a problem. He wonders if the weapon will cause some of the folk to be suspicious, so he decided to attach the sword to his belt. The entire weapon fit perfectly and he was ready to go. The shield can be placed on his back while wearing the cloak.

When Nicole and Sally saw him ready, Sally waved at him to follow. They exited the room and went down the hall. They eventually went to the stairwell and descended the flights of stairs. After descending 4 floors of the building, they exited the building. As Link looked around at his surroundings, he realizes that the architecture of this world is beyond his. Some of the buildings were stories tall, while some were close to the ground, made out of strange yellow material—Link guessed it's made of painted iron or steel, and have glass windows. The inhabitants were also animals, but each was a different species in his world. Some were canine, some birds, feline, and some others he doesn't know. As he expected, most exchange suspicious glances at him, but they didn't see his face or his weapon.

After traversing the crowd, they reached some kind of house that's built into a hill. Link walked up to the front door, but when he pulled the handle, it was lock. He turned around and saw Sally at a nearby tree stump.

"Hey! Over here!" She then opened the top of the stump and jumped through a hole. Link went to the stump and pulled the top off; there was tunnel underneath. He then cautiously entered the stump, but wasn't ready for the slide downward.

At the end of the slide, he landed face first on the floor, rolled over, and laid on ground. After being through all that he been through, he started to get annoyed. When he lifted up his head, he saw he was in the house. In the room he was in, there were two couches opposite of each other, a black metal box with a glass screen, a coffee table of red mahogany between the couches, and a hallway leading to other rooms with staircases leading upstairs and a basement. He then saw Sally sitting on a couch with a silver platter with cups of tea on the table.

"Come, sit."

Link knew his hospitality in other homes; he took off his cloak, hat, and his sword and shield and hung them. He also took off his boots and places them near his other stuff. He sat down on the opposite couch and took a cup of tea and took a sip. The warm, refreshing taste of raspberry went down his throat, making him feel more relaxed and refreshed.

Sally took a sip of her tea and said, "Nicole is in the lab downstairs working on her project. She will tell us when it's done—", a timer rang, "Oh, the cookies are done, be right back." She then left the room and went down the hallway.

Link had smelled the aroma of the freshly baked cookies when someone was going down the stairs.

"Hmmm….I smell baked cookies!" the man said. He had an aged but energetic voice. Link figured he was in his late twenties. When the man went down the stairs, Link saw it was a green-scaled crocodile. He was wearing a gold-chain necklace, gloves, boots, and headphones. Before he stepped off the last tread, he turned his head and saw Link. Link can feel if there's going to be a fight, so he put down the cup and waited for the reptile to make the first move…

***

After the brawl, Sally ran out from the kitchen, ran to the living room, and yelled, "What in the world is going on!?"

She then saw the crocodile lying on his stomach with his hands tied behind his back and his feet bound together. He was covered with serious bruises, a black eye, pieces of his teeth lying near his body, and thin lines of blood were oozing from his mouth. He was choking down his sobs and tears were streaming down his face. When she saw the material that bound his arms and legs, it was the fishing line from Link's fishing rod. Link on the other hand, was fine; no injuries.

She sighed and moaned, "Vector, this is how you end up if you don't pay attention in our meetings." She then looked at Link, "You alright?" Link nodded. "Good, well the device is ready downstairs, follow me." Before she lead on, she saw Link's concerned face towards Vector and said, "Don't worry about him, he always gets into trouble. Besides, his friends will take care of him."

She led Link in the hallway and took the stairs to the basement. In the basement, Link saw the machine, and was kind of…disappointed. It wasn't as high-tech as the buildings outside: some the parts were rusted and some don't even look machine. Weather vanes were attached; even a boxing glove with a spring base was also used in the machine. When Link looked at Sally, she also looks disappointed.

Then a being materialized right next to Link, which caused him to jump. The being's form was composed of green random numbers. The form darkened, and then formed Nicole.

"Sorry to scare you warrior, I forgot to tell you this before, but I'm a computer hologram; an Artificial Intelligence or AI," Nicole said. Link just stared at her, confused. "Look I'll tell you later after we use the device."

"I'm sorry Sally, it was doing great, until somebody blew up my equipment while playing paintball!" the new voice said. It was young, extremely young. It sounded like it was from a child. Link looked around the room to find where the voice came from, and he found it. The scientist was a golden-furred fox with two tails and wearing white gloves. He looked like he was no older than 10 years of age. "So you're the warrior Princess Sally was talking about. Nice to meet ya, I'm Miles Prower, but just call me Tails."

Tails held out his hand and Link took it and shook hands. Tails clapped his hands and said, "Alright, let's try it!"

There was a seat in the middle of the machine, so Link got the idea. He sat down in the chair, while Tails and Sally put on the arm straps and the metal head brace. Tails went to the power switch and was about to flip the switch, but suddenly, the ground was shaking from an explosion outside the city.

The next thing Link heard was an old man laughing through a speaker phone. "HO HO HO!"


	4. A New Enemy

A/N: Sorry for the lack of updates, but my laptop is now fix. Also, I'm doing new projects, so I'll publish and update them from time to time. Any tips or corrections in reviews are welcomed, but please, nothing too harsh.

"HO HO HO! Guess what Sonic; I've got four new robots that are guaranteed to finish you and your team!" the voice said somewhere outside the city. "For the past weeks, the robots you destroyed in the past recorded every single move you and your team made. I uploaded the data into these robots which allowed them to counter every single attack!" the old man said.

"Oh no…" Sally said. "Get him out of that chair; we need him to stop Dr. Eggman!"

They removed the straps and the head brace. They ran up the stairs, Link got his gear and cloak, and exited the house through the main door. Link saw a giant, spiked head mech pounding on the dome's shielding. Link can feel the ground shake with each pound the robot makes. He also saw an eagle-like robot, flying around and firing missiles and dropping bombs, creating fires outside of the dome. He didn't see the other two.

Nicole teleported to where the fight began. Link and the other two ran towards the front entrance. As they went through the gate, they saw the other two robots; one of them was carrying a huge three-barrel firearm, while the other has a blade attached to both of its arm. Both looked like a full military armor with a yellow visor where the face was supposed to be. Link finally saw who Eggman is. He was in a small aircraft, he was fat, bald, wearing a red suit and black pants and shoes, a big bushy light-brown moustache, wearing black sunglasses, has a big nose, and has a pair of goggles on his forehead.

The mad scientist saw Link and was confused. "Huh? Who's this?" Link still wore his cloak and didn't make a sound. "Bah! Doesn't matter," he then looked at the flying robot, "Corentin, get rid of it!"

The mech fired a missile at Link, but it was 15 feet away, so the blast just threw him off his feet. Unfortunately for him, a piece of debris hit him right at the forehead. When he landed on the ground, he twitched a little, and fell unconscious.

***

About twenty minutes later, Link regained consciousness. He can still hear the painful ringing in his ears and can feel a trickle of blood going down the left side of his head. He lifted his head and moaned. He reached his forehead and can feel a vivid bruise was forming. He looked at the carnage around him. He saw Knuckles on the ground, covered with bruises, scuffs, and in a small pool of blood. Link can hear Knuckles groaning, but he saw others. He saw Tails in the wreckage of a winged machine, unconscious. There was another person like Knuckles, except it was woman and wore a vest divided equally into black and green sections, white mittens, a golden belt, and two green boots. She was also in a pool of blood and unconscious. There was a male Coyote and he wore blue uniform, had blonde hair, and carries a Rapier. There was another woman, who Link believed was a hedgehog, wearing a red dress, pink hair, and carrying a giant hammer in her hands. Nicole was on the ground too, but sparks of electricity was surging around her body. Link continued to look around, and saw other people, all unconscious. Link was the only conscious person in the area besides Eggman.

"Huh? You're still up?!" Eggman yelled. Link's hood fell back and made Eggman flabbergasted. "WHAT, A HUMAN?! Where did he come from?"

Link reached to his pack, and took out a jar filled with sparkling purple liquid. It was a jar filled with Great Fairy Tears, something that was rewarded to him from completing the Cave of Ordeals. He drank half of the bottle, and his body can feel his wounds and fatigue leaving his body. He also can feel the Tears giving him more strength. He placed the jar back in his pack, and took out the Master Sword and his shield.

"Eh, ready for a fight are you?" Eggman said. He then looked at the human sized robots and said, "Beowulf, Arblaster, get rid of him!"

The robot with the bladed arms, Beowulf, was the first one to rush at him. Reckless, the robot is mostly about offense. Link ran towards the robot and slammed his shield at the robot's left arm blade. The blade was lodged into the Hylian Shield, making it useless in future fights. Link wasn't done yet, he pushed forward with all his strength, causing the blade to bend backwards and snap. Link threw away the shield and stabbed the robot in the abdomen. The robot twitched for a few seconds and became still. Link saw oil spewing out of the exit wound and the other robot, Arblaster, charging up its weapon.

Link pulled the dead robot closer so the ammunition will hit the robot's body, but not him. The robot fired at Link a non-stop stream of bullets, all ricocheting off Beowulf's body. There was one lucky bullet that grazed Link's left arm. Link felt the searing pain and can feel blood dripping down the arm. The assault never stopped, and Link thought it was the end of him, but he caught a glance of a streak of blue.

The trail of blue headed for Arblaster, and the thing rolled into a spinning buzz-saw ball. The thing cut through the robot and split it in half. The ball screeched to a stop and revealed who it was. Link saw it was a blue hedgehog wearing white gloves and red running shoes, and the way he looked when he looked around, he isn't happy.

"Eggman! You'll pay for this!" the Hedgehog said. He sounded in his late teens.

"Ah…Sonic. Did you come over to be annihilated with your pathetic friends?" Eggman said hoarsely. "You two may have defeated Arblaster and Beowulf, but you have no chance against Corentin or Pallas!"

Meanwhile, Link took out one of his Clawshots, a glove worn device that fires a claw attached by a 15 yard length of chain and pulls Link towards the attached object. He aimed at the giant mech, Pallas, and fired the claw at its head. The claw reached to one of the mech's spikes on its right arm, Link jumped and pressed a trigger that pulls him toward the arm. Once he reached the top, he then aimed the other claw to the mech's shoulder and fired. Once he reached the shoulder, he finally aimed for the top of the head of the meck. While he was repelled forward towards the head, he managed to grab a bomb from his pack. When his feet were planted on the giant's head, he placed the bomb between his abdomen and legs. With all his strength, he punched the surface to make a hole big enough to drop the bomb. He heard his hand cracked, possibly breaking a bone, but he managed to make the hole. Struggling, he reached into his belt pouch, took a match, strokes it down his right cheek, and lit the fuse and drops the bomb through the hole. He released the Clawshot's grip and aimed at a tree's branch and fired as the bomb exploded in the head of the giant mech. The mech staggered, and fell backwards.

"HUH?!" Eggman yelled. He turned around and saw Pallas on the ground with its head blown off. He saw Link climbing down a tree and glaring at him. "How did you manage to beat Pallas? HOW?!" Before he can continue, Link and Sonic charged at him.

They both reached Eggman and were about to strike him down, but before they could, they heard Corentin screeching. Sonic and Link looked up and saw someone they knew in the metallic beast's claws; Sally. She was unconscious and both Link and Sonic stopped in their tracks.

"HAH, nice job Corentin, you were always the smarter one of the group! If you want to see your girlfriend again…alive Sonic, then stay away! You too….whatever your name is, you don't to see an innocent person to die, do you?" Eggman warned, and they flew away.

"Grr…Eggman…" Sonic growled. Link didn't want her to die or to be a prisoner, he'll try something risky. He put on the Hawkeye Mask and took out his bow. He attached a small pouch filled with gun powder with a long fuse to the arrow. With the Hawkeye mask, he became a sniper. When the timing was right and the target in range, Link let the arrow fly. Seconds had passed until it finally hit. The mech was hit right at the head and was destroyed. Sonic looked at Link and commented, "Nice shot!"

Link took off the mask and smiled, but it quickly disappeared. He quickly put the mask on and looked for Sally and found her, she was falling, and was above the same river Link nearly drowned in. He took off the mask and gave it to Sonic. Sonic put it on and Link pointed where she was. Sonic took the mask and looked pale.

"Oh no…" Sonic whispered. He was turning to Link but saw him running towards the river. _He won't make it at that speed! _Sonic Sonic can run after him, he saw Tails limping towards him with a bandage on his arm, carrying a hover board.

"Sonic, give this to the warrior!" Tails yelled. He passed the board to Sonic. Sonic thanked Tails, and ran towards Link.

Sonic caught up to Link and said, "Use this!" Sonic already activated it and handed it to Link. Link got on and figured how to use it. He then looked at Sonic, saw him running at neck breaking speeds. Link then figured it was used the same way as the time he used the sheet of ice when on Snowpeak Mountains. He then leaned forward and went after Sonic at the same speed.

They made it to the river in minutes, but Sally had already plunged into the raging waters. Link didn't have time; he just grabbed his Zora Suit's hat, mask, and flippers, and then plunged into the deep waters.

He swam with the current until he found Princess Sally, still sinking deeper into the river. He dived and grabbed her arm, but a strong wave cause him to be off course. He started to feel the water pressure around him. He then started to worry that Sally was running out of air, so he took off the mask and placed it on her mouth. He can feel the oxygen bubbles that were exhaled from Sally. He looked around and saw he was deeper. He then raced to the surface before the oxygen in his lungs was used up. Then he was strayed off course again by another rapid. He can feel the last of his oxygen used up and the burn in his lungs demanding for air. He frantically tried to rise to the surface. He grabbed the edge of the river and pull Sally and himself out. He gasped for air for a few seconds and removed Sally's mask and tried to hear Sally breathing. She was okay, but Link then feels a sudden pain in his body. He was screaming and clutching his chest. He tried to breath, but he could only take short breaths and it caused a lot more pain. The last thing Link saw was Sonic and Tails running toward him.

The last thing Link heard before passing out was Tails saying, "He has the 'Chokes', get him to the recompression chamber, now!"


	5. Healing Waters

A/N: I would like to thank those who'd gave me some comments that are positive and are constructive criticism. These kinds of reviews give me inspiration to write more. Please, continue sending reviews. Also, my other short-story is almost done. I'll let you know when it's done and published.

* * *

Link had awakened a few hours later inside a chamber. He was lying on a bench, wearing just only his under-shirt and pants. Link looked at his left arm and saw it was stitched together by a doctor. Link clutched his chest and didn't feel the pain in his chest earlier. The door of the chamber opened and Tails entered carrying the rest of Link's clothes. He had a broken left arm and a bandage on his right cheek.

"Just in time warrior; the chamber just finished off that bubble in your lung," Tails said. "We had to stitch up that wound on your arm first, or you probably blow up from the major fluctuation of pressure. You also fractured a few bones in your right hand but we managed to fix them." He then gave Link's clothes back. "I'm afraid we can't use the device yet, that wound might compromise the procedure. We might have to wait for a few days for it to heal."

Link put on his clothes and stepped outside of the chamber. He felt a bit dizzy so he nearly fell. Link could also hear his stomach growling for food, which embarrassed him. It was loud enough for even Tails to hear.

"Hungry? There's food in the living room," Tails offered, "Follow me if you want something."

Tails led Link outside of the chamber room and through the hallways. They ended up in the same living room before, where Link beat up Vector. When they entered the room, they weren't alone. There were some of the people from earlier at the gate. The coyote was sitting on one of the couches, eating soup with a rag wrapped around his head and a casted leg. He was wearing a wedding ring. Sitting next with the coyote was a female rabbit that was part robot on her left arm and from the waist down, wearing a leather vest and a fedora, and having blonde hair, eating some carrots. She had a rag around her forehead and her organic arm's wrist was broken. She was also wearing a wedding ring. Knuckles was sitting in a wheelchair, broken legs and a broken left arm and having a bowl of soup in his lap. He looked depressed, and didn't eat any of his meal. The female hedgehog had a broken right wrist and a rag wrapped around her forehead. Princess Sally had a broken arm and a patch on her left cheek. The blue hedgehog, Sonic, wasn't there. When they all turned around to see Link, they showed some gratitude for his actions.

"Nice job, warrior," Knuckles commented as he gave a thumb up and gave a small smile.

"That was awesome; defeating three of Eggman's robots, all by yourself!" the pink Hedgehog said. She was young, probably in her mid teens. She extended her uninjured hand to shake hands with Link. Link's left arm was stiff due to the stitches on his left arm, but he managed to shake hands. "By the way, my name is Amy."

The coyote bowed his head and said, "Guerrier de merci, thank you warrior. I am Antoine D'Coolette." The coyote had a similar voice as Shad, one of Link's accomplices. "You helped Sonic, thus saving us all from Eggman's robots, especially my wife, Bunnie." He then faced the rabbit, or Bunnie, and kissed her on the cheek.

Bunnie faced Link, tipped her hat and said, "You have all of our gratitude, partner." She was young and her accent was Southern, that she lived in the country for most of her life. "Help yourself for some soup." She pointed to the bowls of hot soup on the table.

Link took one of the bowls of soup of noodles. Link smelled the steam coming from the soup and he caught a whiff of roast beef. It made Link's mouth watered and was about to eat, but he looked at Knuckles. He still looked sad and never ate a bite of his soup. Link was concerned, so he put down the soup and went to Knuckles. Link placed his hand on Knuckles' shoulder and Knuckles looked at him.

Knuckles gave a sigh and said, "You're probably wondering why I'm so down?" Link nodded. "Well, after you got hit and went unconscious, I made it to the gate, and I saw the four robots. I was charging at the one with the guns while it was firing at me. I was doing great, dodging every bullet, but my movements caused the robot to fire on a child that was at the wrong time and place. His name was Drake, eight years old, he was shot once at the left side of the chest, causing the left lung to collapse…he fell on the ground and was in a critical condition…" Knuckles' eyes were watering, but he wiped it away, and continued, "I was angered, and was about to destroy that robot, until the one with blades held Julie-Su at knife point." Link figured it was the woman that was the same species as Knuckles. "It stopped me immediately, giving the robot with the guns a chance to take me down. It raced towards me and bashed me at the arm with the Gatling gun, breaking it. When I was down, it then crushed my legs. I couldn't move, and I thought that they will release Julie, but….but…" His voice broke off, he chocked down his sobs and managed to say, "The bladed one stabbed her through the abdomen. They left her for dead. Rotor, our technical advisor, took her and the boy to the nearby hospital. I got news that…they'll probably won't survive." He then placed his hand over his eyes and cried quietly.

Link wanted to help Knuckles any way he can. He got up and grabbed his cloak, and grabbed a map of the city from the table. Everyone was wondering where he was going. He exited the house and looked at the map to look for the hospital. It was five blocks north of his current position. He checked his pack and saw the bottle half filled with the Great Fairy Tears was still intact, there was one bottle filled with Golden ChuChu juice, a golden clear liquid that has the same effects of the Tears, and dozens of vials filled with Blue ChuChu juice were in his belt pouches; Blue ChuChu juice is blue liquid that just have healing powers. He then continued on his way.

He saw the citizens working together to douse the fires and heal the injured. He made it the hospital. The rooms smelled of bleach, and doctors were rushing everywhere to treat the people that got injured. Link can hear coughing, the moans and groans, and screams of injured or dying patients, and Link can smell the copper and rusted iron scent of blood; it almost made Link vomit. Link traversed the halls of the wounded, looking for any name-plates for Drake or Julie-Su. He first found Drake's room.

He saw Drake, he was a young wolf pup, and his parents were by his side. He was conscious, but barely. The doctor was also there. They saw them and the doctor said, "Who are you?"

Link ignored him and sat besides the child. The child had a tube attached to his arm, transferring blood from the bag on a pole that was next to his bed into his body. He had a small tube attached to a cylinder that contains medicine that dulls the pain. Link took out one of his Vials and gave it to the child. He gestured to Drake to drink it, so Drake took off the cap and drank the contents. Drake might have felt better because he looked at his chest and saw the wound was completely healed. The stitches became loose, so he brushed them off. The doctor removed the tubes and Drake jumped to his parents, filled with joy. The parents and Drake hugged and cried in joy with each other.

The mother, tears in her eyes, got up and asked, "Thank you! How can we ever repay you?" Link smiled. He put his hand up and shook his head, meaning that he doesn't want anything in return, and left the room to look for Julie.

Link eventually found the door to her room, but he can hear a conversation between the doctor and someone else.

"Sorry for being late doctor," the visitor said. Link heard it somewhere before. "How is she, will she make it?"

"Sonic, I'm afraid it's much worse than we thought," the doctor said, "She's barely conscious. Her liver is virtually destroyed, almost dead. Her body doesn't have the function to filter her blood, so viruses can kill her. She's also dying from internal bleeding, and we can't stop it. I'm afraid she only has a few hours to live." He paused for a few moments, and murmered, "I think you better tell Knuckles the bad news."

"I guess you're right. I'm afraid Knuckles will take the news pretty hard," Sonic replied.

Link then walked into the room. Sonic was sitting on a chair next to the door. When he saw Link, Sonic jumped out of his seat, but he remembered Link and sat down. The doctor was besides the bed. Link got a better view of Julie; her fur was pink with lavender bangs and both arms and one of her dreadlocks were robotic. She wore a plastic mask that was attached to a metal canister that was labeled "Oxygen". She wore a one piece light green gown. Her clothing was piled neatly on a table. Her bed was below a metal railing which a ringed curtain is attached.

The doctor looked at Link and asked, "Sonic do you know him?"

"Yeah, he's okay, doc. He helped defend this place from Eggman," Sonic replied to the doctor. He then looked at Link and asked, "By the way, why are you here?"

Link took out the bottle that was half filled with the Tears and pulled out the cork from the top. Link found a box of wet wipes in one of the tables, grabbed a sheet and cleaned the top of the bottle. He grabbed a chair and went to Julie's bed side. He placed the chair and sat down. Link's hand reached for the oxygen masked and gently removed it. Julie looked at Link with fear in her eyes. Link saw it and gave a smile, meaning that all is rest assured. With his free hand, he placed his hand behind her head and slowly lifted it. Gently, he placed the bottle's lid on her lips and slowly poured the contents down her throat. Every second the Tears were swallowed. Once all the liquid was gone, Link placed the cork back on and put it away.

Julie-Su asked, "What was that supposed to do?" She sounded in her mid teens. She then realized she didn't feel any pain. "One minute." She then pulled the curtain around her bed hiding her.

Minutes had passed until Julie-Su pushed away the curtains with shocked expression. "It's gone…." She muttered.

"What's gone?" Sonic asked.

"The wound, i-it's gone! I don't feel weak or any pain!" She cried out with tears of joy in her eyes. "The warrior saved my life!"

The doctor turned to Link, about to say something, and saw Link holding out a dozen vials of Blue ChuChu juice to him. The doctor carefully grabbed them and asked, "Do these have the same effects as the purple liquid?" Link nodded. "Th-thank you, these will help treat all of our patients." He then left, probably to tell his staff about it.

Sonic got up and said, "Hey Julie-Su, if you want, you can leave and see the others. Knuckles has been in a bad state since you got here, he'll be relieved to see that you're okay." Julie-Su nodded, grabbed her clothes and went to the restroom. Sonic then faced Link and said, "You did the right thing, warrior." Link's stomach growled loudly again, Sonic heard it and laughed. "Hungry? I know a place, follow me. Oh, you don't need the cloak." As the leave the hospital, Link didn't realize that he started a strong friendship.


	6. Speak

A/N: Well, here's the next the chapter. Link will be able to talk here! Yay! Also, I've finished another story called "What if: Another Duo" in the Ratchet and Clank section. Please, read and review both stories. Much obliged.  
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Sonic led Link throughout the city, traversing through crowds and buildings. Link saw that the citizens stopped walking and stare at him, since he doesn't have the cloak. This made Link nervous. Sonic and Link traveled through the city until they reached a small restaurant called "Chuck's Chili Dogs". Sonic opened the door, causing a small bell inside to ring, and waved at Link to enter the building. Link heard people cheering inside the restaurant. He then checked his appearance, and honestly, he thinks that he's unappealing: his tunic is peppered with burns and cuts; there's a giant dried blood spot on his left arm; his bare hands are covered with dried mud and blood; his boots are covered in mud and scuffs; and his face is dirty. Taking a deep breath, he pushed through the door, into a room of patrons.

He saw everyone in the room, excluding Sonic, was staring at him. He saw Sonic sitting in booth with a table. As Link walked towards Sonic, he heard murmurs from the people. Link nervously sat down with Sonic.

"Well, the food is almost done, but in the meantime, warrior, would you mind to wash your hands and face?" Sonic ask. Link saw that chips of dried mud are on the table. Sonic pointed to a door that said "men". "The restroom has a sink, go ahead and wash your hands. The food should be done by then." Link nodded, got up, and entered the restroom.

The bathroom had a few stalls and urinals and sink with a mirror attached to the wall. When he turned the water on, he looked at the mirror attached on the wall and saw that people inside the room left immediately. It seems that they're afraid of him. Link doesn't blame them. He then turned the faucet on, pulled up his left sleeve, and washed the dried blood off. Once all the dirt was off, he looked at his face in the mirror. He saw a tired and weary face stuck on an alien world. Everyone on this strange world are aliens to him. No, Link realized they're not the aliens, but _he_ is. They've been on this world for countless millennia; they're used to everyone else, but not to strangers. Link was worried that he won't fit in, but he has to.

He left the restroom and sat back with Sonic. There were plates of sausages on a white wheat bun and some sort of potatoes. The potatoes were shaped like sticks, the outer surface was hard, but the inside was soft, the "meat", so to speak, of the potato. It smelled of grease and salt. The sausages were covered with a meat sauce that has beans, chopped Chili Peppers, garlic, and onions. It smelled so delicious; it made Link's mouth watered. There were glasses filled a fizzy dark brown/black liquid. There was food for both of them.

"Go ahead, eat up," Sonic said. Sonic grabbed one of the bunned sausages and started to eat.

Link saw it was fingered food so he took one and took a bite. He tasted the sauce mixed with the sausage; it tasted so good, but Link wasn't prepared for the burning sensation inside his mouth. The chopped Chili Peppers caused the food to become spicy, something Link isn't accustomed to. He quickly grabbed his drink and drank it all in a few gulps. The drink had a mild taste, almost vanilla but it had a lot of sugar. Once the fizzing liquid went down his throat, Link can feel a slight but pleasant tickling sensation. Once the heat vanished from his mouth, he gave a small sigh of relief, but was surprised to see all of his drink gone. Link saw Sonic started to laugh. It took some time for Link to realize it, so when he did, he started to laugh with him.

Sonic gradually stopped laughing and said, "I've been thinking, since you got more of that blue stuff, we can use the device today! What do you think?" Link gave it a thought for a moment. He felt tired, but he was excited to be able to talk, he always wondered what he sounded like, so he nodded. "Great!" Sonic replied, "Be right back, I'm going to get more soda." Sonic got up, went to the counter, and pressed a small bell, the one you see at a hotel desk. "Hey dad, can you bring us some more soda?'' Then, a metallic blue hedgehog appeared, holding a pitcher of the soda. Link was shocked to see Sonic's father was like Pallas and Armblaster. He wondered why. Sonic grabbed the pitcher and went back to the table. "Now that I can see you're not accustomed to spicy food, you can have all the refills you want." After that Sonic laughed about it, and Link followed. Then they enjoyed the rest of the meal.

***

"Honestly, I think you got full because you drank all that soda!" Sonic joked.

Sonic and Link left the restaurant an hour later, bellies full. Sonic was kinda right though, Link drank a lot. As they walked throughout the city, people are still looking at Link, but he wasn't worried. Link hoped he can earn their trust after the experiment.

After a while they returned back to Sonic's house in the hill. They went through the same tree stump and entered the house. Once inside, Link saw Julie-Su sitting with Knuckles and resting her head on his shoulder. Both were taking a nap on the couch. Everybody else Link met was relaxing, either reading a book, taking naps, or talking to each other. Tails, on the other hand, wasn't there, but probably working on the machine. Everyone else in the room saw Link and smiled.

"You continue to surprise us, warrior," Amy said.

"Oui, she's right, warrior, we are in your debt again," Antoine added.

Knuckles woke up and said to Link, "yawwwnnn…Thank you warrior, I don't know what I'd do without Julie-Su, but I got a question: how did you heal Julie-Su and everyone else in the hospital?"

After he said that, Tails came out from the basement covered in crude oil. Since everyone was here, Link took out the rest of his Blue ChuChu vials and spread it on the table. Everyone, except Nicole and Sonic, grabbed a vial, but didn't know how to use it. Link grabbed the smallest vial, took off the cap and drank its contents. He then pulled up his left sleeve and showed that the wound was gone. Everybody got the meaning and drank the blue liquid. Minutes later, there were rags, casts, and wraps on the floor.

"Well, warrior, the machine is ready, and better than the last design," Tails said, "Sonic said that you want to use it now, so follow me."

When they went back to the basement, Link saw the machine was better than before. The rusted, non-useful pieces were removed. Instead of a simple head piece, it was a full helmet with a full face visor that encases the head inside it. Link realized that the helmet was the same one Beowulf had.

"I replaced the inferior parts with the salvage we got from the destroyed robots. At first, it was supposed to use a neural shock wave that instantly allows you to speak; however, it's extremely painful. With the helmet we got from the wreckage, it flash-teaches the wearer; however, it still uses a neural shock, but it's not as painful. You'll just have to stay up for a long time. Also, you can also learn other things, like twelve years of school, four years of college, and more in hours, but it's your decision. Do you want to do that?"

Link gave it a thought, and nodded to that idea. He didn't just want to be able to speak, but also wants to adapt in this world, like being able to do jobs in this planet. He nodded to Tails about the idea and sat in the chair while Tails placed the helmet. It was hot and musky inside the helmet.

"Ok, here goes!"

The visor turned on and appeared white. A second later, words, phrases, the punctuation of the phrases, math equations, military tactics, construction, demolition, history, and more flashed across the visor's screen. Link can feel a small pain in his head, but can feel his brain recording the information. Link started to feel tired after a few hours, but force himself to press on.

***

Hours later…the flash-lessons were complete. Tails removed the helmet and the locks. Link was extremely tired and his limbs were all numb. Once he got out of the chair, he nearly fell to the floor. Fortunately, Knuckles caught him.

"You must be extremely tired," Knuckles said. They helped Link onto the couch in the living room. Once Link sat down, Knuckles asked, "Did the machine work, and if it did, can you tell us your name warrior?"

When Link first tried to speak in Hyrule, he felt his throat constrict, but not anymore. Taking a breath, he let the words rolled out of his mouth. "My name…is…Link, the Hero of Hyrule."


	7. The Tale of a Hero

A/N: Sorry for that lack of updates for this story. I was mostly focused on my other story, Rescue Me, and it probably be like that for the next several weeks. However, I will continue this story till the end, I promise you that.

Update: Had to change a scene in this chapter.

* * *

Everybody was celebrating about the success of the experiment later that day. There were a lot of foods there, like pizzas, chili dogs, soda, chips with salsa, and more. Link met more of Sonic's friends, like Rotor, who was a purpled skinned walrus and a technician specialist, Charmy, a very young bumble-bee, a friend of Vector who always gets himself into trouble, and Espio, a purple scaled chameleon, another friend of Vector and is a Ninja. Link was able to meet all of Sonic's friends in this group called "the Freedom Fighters."

"How does it feel to finally be able to talk Link?" Princess Sally asked.

"It feels…great," Link replied. His voice sounded young, had an air of command. He didn't sound weak, he didn't sound over-powered. His voice wasn't low, but it wasn't high. It was just right.

"Hey Link, can you tell us how about you and your world?" Tails asked as he took a bite from a slice a pizza.

Link drank some of his soda and placed the can down on the table. "Where should I begin?" Link asked himself. He paused for a few minutes as everyone quieted down. When everyone was quiet, Link started to tell his tale of being a hero.

***

When Link finished his story, it was already a starry night.

"Well, that's my story," Link concluded after hours of telling his tale.

Everyone just stared at awestruck and no one said a word. Sonic was the first one to talk. "Wow, you did all that?" Sonic asked.

"Yeah, I did," Link replied, "I have to admit, it was fun while it lasted. Life after being the hero just got boring. If I haven't jumped through that portal, I wouldn't have met you guys."

"So this lady—um…Midna right?—haven't you tried to find a way to see her again?" Amy asked.

"I admit I tried looking everywhere; I looked through every nook and cranny to find a way to the Twilight Realm," Link confessed, "I just don't feel the same without her, but I might have a chance now."

"How?" Amy asked, "I thought you said that the Mirror was the only way into to the Twilight Realm?"

"Well, when I jumped through the portal, I was sent to a Nexus between worlds," Link said, "There were gateways to different worlds—including yours—and I saw a portal leading into the Twilight Realm, but it was blocked by some kind of gate as were the others, besides your world."

"What will you do when you see her again?"

Link felt a bit nervous, he didn't want to continue the subject. Sonic saw it and changed the subject.

"What are Redeads?" Sonic asked, "You said you fought them, but you didn't say anything else."

Link was still nervous, he doesn't want to be reminded of the Redeads, but he's willing to say.

"Well, have you heard of Zombies?" Everyone nodded. "Well, that's what they are. Except, according to legend, they are created by the demonic magic of the Ancient Evil that one of Hyrule's heroes slain. You can tell if one's nearby if you hear the blood-curdling moan. If one's near, you can smell the decomposing flesh, the rotten bandages, the salty-scent of blood, and you can hear the sound of scraping metal as its giant sword is dragged around. If you see them, try not to hear their scream. That scream will instantly paralyze you with fear."

"How?" Sonic asked again.

"It will steal the warmth of your blood and your courage is gone. It will also reminds you of your worst nightmare. Dying, losing a friend, anything that causes the most fear to you is the Redeads' best weapon."

Everyone was shaking with fear. "Wow, I thought Shadow's Evil Eye scares me," Charmy commented.

"Who?" Link asked

"You'll find out soon enough," Sonic said, "Oh yeah, Link, your shield is broken. Once we removed the blade, the shield broke in half. We couldn't repair it, but we made you a better one." Sonic got off his chair and went to a room. When he came back, he carried a shield with the same design but the metal had a tint of golden-bronze. "This shield is made of Orichalcum, our world's strongest and rarest mineral. After it's liquefied, it loses its strength. However, once fused with Trillium, another rare mineral found in the planet's core, it regains its strength."

Link took the shield and was surprised it was lighter than his old shield. He ran his finger on the surface of the shield's edge and was extremely smooth. He grabbed a small dagger from his pack and dragged the blade throughout the shield's surface. Once he removed the blade, the blade left no mark, scratch, or dent; the surface is still smooth.

He put the shield down and said, "Thanks a lot Sonic, this will definitely help." However, he was still a bit sad. His old shield saved his life countless times. Losing it feels like losing a life-long friend.

After eating some pizza, Antoine asked, "Excusez-moi, but I have a question. How come your sword can cut through the armor plating of Eggman's previous robots?"

Link then unsheathed the Master Sword and placed it on the table. "This…is the Master Sword, the Sword of Evil's Bane. According to legend, it was crafted by seven of Hyrule's ancient and wisest sages and only the sword can choose its master. Also, there was a legend that the Hero of Time, a hero that saved Hyrule and supposedly traveled back in time, wielded it. This sword was able to break the curse Zant placed on me."

"May I hold it?" Antoine asked.

"I...don't know," Link replied, "Only the Hero Chosen by the Gods can wield it. I don't know what will happen if I let you hold it."

Antoine shook his head dismissively and said, "What's the worst that could happen?" He reached for the hilt of the Master Sword. When his hand touched it, he felt a sudden and painful electric shock. Antoine jerked his hand back and yelped.

Link laughed at what happened to Antoine. "_That_ could happen, Antoine," Link said between laughs. Soon, everyone laughed at the event, including Antoine,

"So…what happened to Princess Zelda?" Julie asked.

"_Queen_Zelda, Julie. She gained the throne after Hyrule Castle was rebuilt. I was really surprised at the time it took to rebuild it, it was a lot faster when all the species of the land helped. Things got peaceful under her rule, but I have to admit, a bit _too_ peaceful. Nothing exciting happened after that."

Charmy gave a mischievous smile, and started to ask, "Hey Link, who do you like better: Mi—" *SMACK* "OW!" Espio knew what was going on and slapped him at the back of the head. It seemed Charmy wanted to ask Link a personal and embarrassing question. Thankfully, Link didn't get the clue.

"Do you plan to return back to Hyrule?" Princess Sally asked. Link detected a hint of sadness from her and he saw everyone looked a little sad. It seems that they don't want to lose a good friend.

"I might return, eventually," Link replied, "but I'll stay here for some time." Everyone seemed to be happy that he's staying for some time.

Soon Link gave out a yawn and looked for a clock. He found one and checked the time. It was 2 o'clock a.m., of the next day.

"Hey guys, I'm still a bit tired from the experiment; I'm going to hit the sack," Link announced.

"Oh okay, your room is down the hallway, third door on the left," Sally said, "Good night."

"Bonne nuit, Link," Antoine said as he went to the bathroom to get some pain-killers.

"Sweet dreams, pal," Sonic added before he went to his own room.

Once everyone said goodnight, Link went to his room, lied on his bed, and pulled the covers over him. _Yeah, I'll get along just fine._ Link thought before he went to sleep.

* * *

A/N: I originally planned to have Link already back into the fray in the next chapter, but I want to have him some kind of break from all the danger. I'll try to work on it, but High School takes priority, so expect to not see an update for some time.


End file.
